5 Ways to Create Balance for Good Health and Wellbeing
5 ways to find balance for good health and wellbeing
I think balance is one of the most important foundations for good health and well being. Finding balance is at the same time something that so many of us fail to have in our lives.
Carry on reading for inspiration of how you can achieve more balance in your life.
I realise that nobody is perfect.
Having a wonderfully balanced life where we have time for ourselves, time for work time, for our loved ones all in equal ratios is an idealistic dream but I’m sure that creating a little more balance in your life is achievable and so here are 5 ways you can create more balance in your life.
Before we get into the actions you can take it’s important to understand the what and the why?
What is balance?
In a human balance can appear in emotional stability, a habit of calm behaviour, a state of bodily equilibrium.
Physical imbalances can result in high or low blood pressure, increased tension or muscle weakness, inner ear infections, dizziness….the list goes on.
The Oxford English dictionary definition for the noun ‘balance’ is “a situation in which different elements are equal.”
As a complementary therapist, I often see clients who come to me when their bodies are out of balance.
They may hold muscular tension in specific areas and emotionally they may be feeling overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, depressed.
A crucial part of my work is helping to bring the body, mind and emotions back into balance.
So, why strive for balance?
It’s simple. More balance in your life, in your body and in your emotions will result in a happier and healthier YOU!
It will help you foster mental peace and well being. With everything that is happening in the world right now don’t those two words just sound blissful – mental peace.
Nature’s example
In nature, a plant needs an adequate amount of nourishment and water to grow and blossom, it’s all about balance.
Too much water may kill it and and not enough water will do the same.
The human example is quite the same – our body is created to maintain ‘homeostasis’ at all times.
Oxford English Dictionary definition is:
“the tendency towards a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.”
So how can we create more balance in our lives?
Number 1 Listen to your body – what is it trying to tell you?
Do you have any pain or discomfort in your body right now? Do you know what has caused it? Are you trying to address the cause and not just mask the symptoms?
If you’ve got a symptom, whether it might be an ongoing headache, or neck pain or a niggling discomfort, maybe in your tummy or in your skin, it could be anywhere in your body, listen to it.
Always try and turn on that little internal ear, listen and think about what your body is trying to tell you? To slow down, to speed up and do more exercise, to stand up straight, to cleanse more thoroughly, to have more breaks from your desk / computer / mobile phone.
I am by no means perfect when it comes to balance but I do my best and that’s all we can do.
Many years ago I developed back ache that would not go away quickly and as holistic practitioner and self care advocate I was fully aware of what I needed to be doing to look after myself so that I could continue to look after others.
Number 2 Take action – to regain balance
I have at least two sessions of complementary therapy every month.
I take salt baths which are wonderful for detoxing your body, helping relieve muscle aches and pains.
I use essential oils in my baths and in massage. I sometimes give myself a foot massage or ask my fiance to do my shoulders.
Seek help from a professional if you need it.
For my painful back a combination of all of the above and aromatherapy massage and exercise worked best for me.
Number 3 Be realistic
We are only human and we don’t know what surprises or challenges life may present to us
We each have different circumstances, and new demands can arrive just like that, sometimes many, all at once, and that’s when the scales of balance start to change.
Imbalance can easily become the new normal.
This happened to me in the lead up to a major business event and at the time I just didn’t have enough space for relaxation.
With hindsight this was the result of at least a month of overwork and lots of lifting and over stretching.
The recovery took months and fortunately this occurred when I was still in part time employment so I had time to focus on my own recovery.
Ever since, I’ve been more conscious of my posture, especially when lifting. I do my best to make sure that I’m doing things in a more balanced way.
So, my questions for you are, be real, where in your life do you need more balance? What can you do to create it?
Number 4 Treat your body like a temple
I’m a huge fan of nutritional therapy and the use of supplements alongside a healthy and varied diet of course.
It’s best to plan healthy meals in advance and take supplements all year round but more importantly do this when things are out of balance, and guess what, this may be the least likely time you will manage this.
Prioritise your internal nourishment, your body will thank you for it.
To aid recovery I added some collagen and protein powder to my daily diet to help support my body and encourage muscle repair.
Number 5 Give yourself a break or two or three!
It’s up to us to look after ourselves as much as possible. We all know that the stress response is there for a reason, to protect us.
Yet, long periods of heightened stress takes it’s toll physiologically, emotionally and mentally.
It’s just not healthy and continued stress results in disease or the development of a serious medical condition.
Working hard all year around and just taking a long two week summer break is not enough to re-balance the scales.
I’m a big fan of having more shorter breaks throughout the year as well as a longer 7-10 day break.
Depending upon your budget, these can be digital detoxes at home or a UK or holiday abroad.
Fill your break with good self care practices. Re-visit number 2 for inspiration.
I hope you have found this blog useful and remember by creating more balance in your life you’re going to be healthier, less stressed, and will live longer too – what’s not to love about that!
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this blog – leave a comment below.
If you need help bringing some more balance into your life you will find a whole range of aromatherapy products and therapies to help you right here.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Until next time, take care of YOU!
Louisa